Return to: In the Paint 2023

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Syracuse is now enjoying a three-game winning streak after dropping three games, with questions surrounding head coach Jim Boeheim and the viability of the Orange’s freshmen. The upset win over No. 23 NC State, led by 18 points and 16 rebounds from Jesse Edwards, marks the peak of SU’s season up to this point. After three days off, it’ll take on one of its biggest rivals at the JMA Wireless Dome: Duke.

The Blue Devils are in the midst of a down year under first-year head coach Jon Scheyer, with six Atlantic Coast Conference losses, despite an 18-8 record and currently being on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament. They’re led by Wooden and Naismith Award finalist Kyle Filipowski, trying to get out of the shadow of a talented Final Four team that featured Paolo Banchero and AJ Griffin.

When Duke takes on Syracuse Saturday afternoon, here’s what our beat writers think will happen:

Anish Vasudevan (20-6)
Party like it’s 2017
Syracuse 70, Duke 67

The most important day in central New York is here. The Orange last defeated the Blue Devils in the Dome six years ago, winning by a John Gillon buzzer-beating-off-the-glass dagger.

Freshman phenom Filipowski is at the forefront of Duke’s balanced attack, averaging 15.1 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game. He’s lethal in the high post. He can easily knock down a wide open elbow jumper or locate one of his teammates wide open at the arc or under the basket. Syracuse struggled with stopping these big facilitators at the beginning of the year, but it recently handled Boston College’s Quinten Post with ease. This game will depend on if the Orange can at least contain Filipowski. I think they will.

The Blue Devils have a balanced attack with six players averaging more than 7.0 points per game, but the Orange just put together their most complete offensive performance of the year against NC State. All five starters finished with double digits in scoring. I think the Orange can put together back-to-back shows with their five-player ensemble. Rejoice, Syracuse, and listen to the tune of “Closer” by The Chainsmokers — it will again be like 2017.

Connor Smith (22-4)
Back to square one
Duke 72, Syracuse 68

Syracuse is in a groove again, winning three straight for the first time since early December, and has an opportunity for back-to-back statement wins against Duke, which is unranked but once sat comfortably in the top 10. The Blue Devils are still recovering from a loss at Virginia last weekend, when the officials reversed a foul call that would’ve sent Filipowski to the foul line with a chance to win the game. Instead, it went to overtime, and the Cavaliers won by seven. The ACC later admitted the officials were wrong, and Scheyer was still expressing his frustration two days later.

Duke squeaked out a four-point home win over Notre Dame on Tuesday, and KenPom predicts it to win by one on Saturday. I, too, think this game will go down to the wire. Syracuse did show it’s capable of making the big plays late in its win over NC State, but I expect the Orange to be several possessions behind by the end of Saturday’s second half. It’ll try to press and hit some tough shots to catch up, but not enough, with the loss resembling previous ones against Miami, North Carolina and Virginia.

The Blue Devils have several guys who can make plays at the free-throw line — including wing Mark Mitchell and future NBA Draft pick Filipowski — but are a bad 3-point shooting team. The battle inside between Dereck Lively and Edwards will play a big role in who wins this game, as will the one between Filipowski and Maliq Brown. And ultimately, I expect Scheyer’s Duke squad to come out on top in his first battle against Boeheim.

Anthony Alandt (18-8)
Schey, Schey Miss American pie
Syracuse 73, Duke 70

There’s a serious opportunity here to do something special with this young group of players Saturday night. Duke isn’t what it was last season, especially without Banchero and Griffin. But Duke is still Duke, and the Orange are still taking on a blue chip in the Dome in hopes of keeping their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. After three straight losses, Syracuse sat at 13-10 and at .500 in the ACC, with questions about the viability of this team — and Boeheim’s longevity — swirling faster than ever.

Boeheim’s name, image and likeness comments were more talked about than the next few games. Now, they’re back in the driver’s seat, hoping to turn the nose up on 2022-23. Duke enters with the same record as Syracuse in conference play, despite losing to some of the top teams, many of which came at close margins. The Blue Devils aren’t a great shooting team this season, and have only surpassed the 80-point mark six times this season.

Syracuse, who just came off its biggest win of the season against No. 23 NC State, is playing good basketball and should be able to handle Duke from the 3-point line and shut it down inside. If Filipowski is shut down by a double team of Edwards and one of SU’s forwards, the Blue Devils are likely to be lost on offense. Hopefully, Judah Mintz and the rest of the freshmen don’t let the moment get too big.

Published on February 15, 2023 at 9:53 pm